Experiential Learning
Students who choose to major in neuroscience at the University of Mount Union have ample opportunities to get “real-world” experience outside of the classroom. By getting involved in extracurricular opportunities and student organizations, you can strengthen your skills and knowledge in behavioral and mental neuroscience, both of which are critical to career success.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Psychology Club is a student-led organization on Mount Union’s campus, and it’s a fun and interesting way for students and faculty to interact outside of the classroom. By getting involved in the Psychology Club, you’ll have the opportunity to hear presentations from professionals in the field, discuss graduate school and jobs as well as attend social activities. The club also sponsors informational trips to local facilities and service agencies. It is open to all students regardless of major and its purpose is to encourage and promote the study of psychological science while stimulating interest in professional aspects of the field.
Psi Chi is a national psychology honor society. The activities of Mount Union’s local chapter are varied, although many are designed to stimulate professional growth by creating a fellowship with other psychology professionals across the nation. The chapter provides opportunities to promote individual research involvement and to reward achievement of professional leadership qualities. There are many advantages of membership including:
- honor and recognition for academic excellence
- access to colleagues and experienced psychologists
- opportunities to develop leadership skills
- opportunities to develop relationships with faculty and other psychology professionals
- ability to socialize with other psychology students
- access to educational and career-building programs and events
- opportunities to serve the campus and the wider community
SERVICE LEARNING
Service-learning is important to a student’s overall college experience. Social Responsibility and Personal Well-Being (PY 350) is an experientially-based course that looks at the effect of service and other forms of helping behavior on one's sense of well-being. The course looks at effective ways of providing service and emphasizes the personal impact of helping by providing opportunities for class members to participate in service projects. This involves a week-long, spring break trip to a developing country. By looking at both established service programs as well as the process of initiating a service project, participants will learn about many approaches to providing service and meeting community needs. The course is taught by Dr. Steve Kramer and has in recent years involved traveling to a Central American country such as El Salvador.
RESEARCH
Conducting psychological, neuroscience, and human development research provides students with an opportunity to explore a new area of study, contribute new findings to the field and/or expand upon current discoveries. Students pursuing a neuroscience degree or a neuroscience minor have the following research opportunities available at Mount Union:
- Research-based sophomore and junior courses
- Undergraduate research laboratory work under the guidance of a faculty member
- Individual honors projects
- A collaborative senior research project
Students in our department have worked in the canine cognition lab, humor lab, and psychophysiological and neuropsychology laboratory. Students have taken part in conference presentations at the annual conferences of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Eastern Psychological Association, International Neuropsychological Society, and Association for Psychological Science. A sample of journals that student authors have published in along with a faculty mentor include: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, Perceptual and Motor Skills, and Laterality.
Within the senior research course, neuroscience majors who pursue research opportunities will be able to analyze and investigate areas in which they are most interested. Throughout the structured research process, students will critically evaluate neuroscience research by conducting a literature review, developing a research proposal, designing and conducting neuroscience research, analyzing statistical data and communicating findings effectively with the scientific community and the general public. Exemplary research projects and results will be presented at Mount Union’s annual SCHOLAR Day.
